Religion and Philosophy from Plato's Phaedo to the Chaldaean Oracles. Appendix: Plotinus and the Jews

Abstract

Religion and Philosophy from Plato's Phaedo to the Chaldaean Oracles" APPENDIX: PLOTINUS AND THE JEws PHILIP MERLAN MOST PROBABLY BORN in Egypt,1 perhaps even ethnically an Egyptian,2 though certainly a most thoroughly hellenized one,3 possibly even initiated into an Egyptian mystery religion,4 Plotinus also when in Rome remained in touch with representatives of Egyptian religion.5 He was familiar with doctrines of Christians, both orthodox and unorthodox,e and it stands to reason to assume that he had personal contacts with some of them. But it also stands to reason to expect him to have had some significant contacts with Jews. After all, Alexandria, Antioch, and Rome, three major cities in which Plotinus lived, had large Jewish communities. In addition, there were some special reasons why he should have been interested in Judaism and its representatives. Among Plotinus' most intimate friends we find an Arab, Zethos.7 It is difficult to imagine that he should not have been interested nor discussed with Plotinus that most colorful and remarkable personality of the Arabo-Rolnan world, Zenobia of Palmyra. To Gallienus himself no less than to his predecessor she was of prime importance. She nearly succeeded in creating a vast * Continued and concluded from Vol. I, No. 2, pp. 163-176. 1 Porphyry, Fita Plotini, ch. 1; cf. g. Harder (tr.), Plotins Schri[ten, Neubearbeitung, vol. Vc (Hamburg: 1958), a. 1., but also ad ch. 6 (p. 83). 2 Archeological evidence: H.P.L. L'Orange, "The Portrait of Plotinus," Cahiers Archeologique$ 5 (1951), pp. 15-30, esp. p. 18; idem, "Plotinus-Paul," Byzantion 25-27 (1955-57), pp. 473-485, esp. p. 476. According to L'Orange the face of Plotinus bespeaks an Easterner. a F. Zucker, Plotin und Lykopolis (Berlin: 1950). 4 M. Cochez, "Plotin et les myst~res d'Isis," Revue Philosophique de Louvain 18 (1911), pp. 328340 ; F. Cumont, "I.e culte l~gyptien et le mysticisme de Plotin," Fondation Plot, Monuments et Mdmoires 25 (Paris: 1921/2), pp. 77-92. Denial: E. Peterson, "Die ~6vog aObg ~6~ov -Formel bei Plotin," Philologus 88 (N.F. 42; 1933), pp. 30-41. But Cumont was obviously not convinced: Lux perpetua (Paris: 1949), p. 359. 5 Porphyry,ibid., ch. 10. 6 Porphyry, ibid., ch. 16. 7 Porphyry, ibid., ch. 2 and 7 (with Harder op. cit. a. 1.). Certainly he was not the only Arab in Neoplatonic circles. Iamblichus might have been another. [15] 16 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Eastern empire, including, among others, Egypt, at the expense of Rome. In fact, as long as Gallienus lived, she managed to maintain her position of independence and for one reason or another, Gallienus was forced to acquiesce in this.8 If not from Zethos, Plotinus must have heard much about her at the court of Gallienus. There was also a personal link between the circle of Plotinus and Zenobia, represented by Longinus, her philosophico-political adviser.9 Longinus, always in touch with Porphyry, was writing to him from Palmyra1~and it is unlikely that this correspondence was entirely unpolitical. Furthermore, in his capacity as Zenobia's adviser, Longinus must have had frequent contacts with her ducenarius, Paul of Samosata.11 And he must have been familiar with the famous controversies between him and other representatives of Christianity in Palmyra, familiar also with one of the stock criticisms of his doctrines, viz., that they "]udaized" Christianity. In these controversies perhaps also the doctrines of Origenes were invoked. As Origenes had been a pupil of Ammonius Saccas, as had been Longinus,12 the latter had additional reasons to become interested in these controversies. Porphyry, who, as is well known, had a very thorough knowledge of the Old Testament and might have been married to a Jewess,18 probably welcomed every chance to enlarge his knowledge of Judaeo-Christiana. Thus, the circle of Plotinus must have been informed of events in Palmyra, events in which Judaism played a conspicuous role. How conspicuous it was comes, however , fully to light only when we remember that Zenobia herself was, in some sense of the word, Jewish, though hardly in the ethnic sense of the word. True, this was in the 20th century...